Veteran Stories:F. Morley Carter

Air Force

Captain F. Morley Carter served with the Royal Air Force during the First World War and received the Distinguished Flying Cross. Collection courtesy of Mr. Carter's children, Anne Lapp and H. Jackson Carter.

Captain F. Morley Carter served with the Royal Air Force during the First World War and received the Distinguished Flying Cross. Collection courtesy of Mr. Carter's children, Anne Lapp and H. Jackson Carter.

Message to the Officer Commanding of 107 Squadron from the Officer Commanding of 51st Wing congratulating them on the morning raid, describing it as "an excellent show." October 14, 1918.

Message to the Officer Commanding of 107 Squadron from the Officer Commanding of 51st Wing congratulating them on the morning raid, describing it as "an excellent show." October 14, 1918.

Letter from one of F. Morley Carter's flying mates in his squadron, written on Armistice Day, November 11, 1918. Mr. Carter's friend was writing from a hospital in Reading, England and had just had the stitches from his wound removed that day.

Letter from one of F. Morley Carter's flying mates in his squadron, written on Armistice Day, November 11, 1918. Mr. Carter's friend was writing from a hospital in Reading, England and had just had the stitches from his wound removed that day.

Page two of the letter from Mr. Carter's friend in hospital. He asked about how things were with the squadron and lamented not be with them to celebrate the end of the war.

Page two of the letter from Mr. Carter's friend in hospital. He asked about how things were with the squadron and lamented not be with them to celebrate the end of the war.

The third page of Mr. Carter's friend's letter. He was tired of being in hospital and shared those feelings with his friend from his squadron.

The third page of Mr. Carter's friend's letter. He was tired of being in hospital and shared those feelings with his friend from his squadron.

Related resources

Transcript

My name is Jack Carter, and I'm going to relate some information about my father, Francis Morley Carter, better known as Morley, who was in the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War, and later transferred to the RAF as the war came to a close.

He joined the 157th Battalion of the Canadian Militia here in Canada in 1915. I guess he decided – either he was a very reckless person or a very courageous person – that he would like to apply for service in the Royal Flying Corps, which he did, and he was accepted and sailed for Britain in early 1916. In January of that year he was inducted into the Royal Flying Corps with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. He went on to complete his flying training during the next four or five months.

He was then posted to No. 6 Squadron in France, and he flew mainly reconnaissance-type aircraft, doing (?) observations and this type of thing. This would be a two-seater aircraft armed with machine guns, in case they were jumped by any German aircraft.

He went on to be posted to No. 15 Squadron (?) France, and was later posted to Lieutenant. Later in that year, he came back to Canada on leave and he married my mother. In February of 1918, he was appointed a temporary Captain and Flight Commander of 108 Squadron. Apparently they had lost their Flight Commander. This amounted more or less to a battlefield promotion, I suppose. He led that flight of 108 Squadron for some time. In April of 1918, he transferred to the Royal Air Force. I guess at that point the Royal Flying Corps was integrated with the new Royal Air Force, and he transferred to the RAF as a temporary Captain.

He was then posted later in 1918 to the 108 Squadron in France and he stayed there until the end of the war, flying light bombing aircraft, which had bombed a number of targets in German occupied France and Flanders. He won the DFC – the Distinguished Flying Cross – primarily for his ability to maintain good morale, and carry out these bombing raids on behalf of his squadron.